If you’re experiencing arm pain after your car accident, don’t talk to an insurance claims adjuster before speaking with one of our NY car accident attorneys.
Various injuries can cause arm pain after a car accident, from nerve damage to an arm fracture. It’s essential to seek immediate medical care after an accident to determine the exact cause of your arm pain. Once diagnosed, contact a car accident attorney to file a car accident claim.
A car accident claim can help you recoup thousands of dollars in injury expenses, such as medical bills and lost wages from time spent out of work. It can also hold the at-fault driver responsible for other expenses such as car repair costs.
Common Causes and Symptoms
Arm pain after an auto car accident is generally caused by damage to soft tissues, such as muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and injury to arm bones and joints. If you are experiencing tingling, numbness, or pain in the arm, it may be due to a whiplash injury. When you brace yourself for the impact, a sprain, strain, or fracture might occur. While the causes of arm pain could be many, whiplash is possibly the most common.
Let’s consider how a car accident injury can cause pain, tingling, or numbness in the arm.
- Brachial plexus – The brachial plexus is the network of nerves emerging from the spinal cord in the neck. These nerves travel down the arms and hands. In a car accident, the brachial plexus may get injured, and this can cause arm pain.
- Humerus fracture – A crack or break in the upper arm often occurs when extended arms brace for the crash and take the force of impact, for example, when holding the steering wheel.
- Radius or ulna fracture – A crack or break in one or both of the bones of the forearm. Forearm fractures usually occur when outstretched arms are exposed in a car accident.
- Distal humerus fracture – A fracture at the end of the humerus near the elbow joint can cause damage to both the joint and cartilage and lead to elbow stiffness and arthritis. These types of fractures occur in severe car accidents.
- Whiplash – A neck injury that tears soft tissues in the cervical spine and shoulders, which can cause arm pain.
- Joint dislocation – A shift of the bones in the shoulder joint or elbow socket.
- Rotator cuff tear – A tear in the muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint.
Symptoms of a Broken Arm
If you suspect you have a broken arm after a car accident, seek immediate medical help. Some of the common symptoms of a broken arm include:
- Swelling
- Intense pain and increased pain when moving the arm
- Evident deformity when compared with the other arm
- An open wound, either as a direct result of the accident or from the bone puncturing the skin
- Inability to move the injured area
- Decreased sensation in the area
Although all the safety features available in cars, including shoulder and seat belts, severe and permanent arm injuries can occur in an accident. Arms and elbows are frequently exposed while driving, so the chances of sustaining an injury to these areas are high.
Contact a N.Y. Car Accident Attorney
Don’t talk to an insurance claims adjuster before speaking with Apicella & Schlesinger Attorneys at Law, L.L.C. We can help you avoid making statements that may affect the outcome of your case. The consultation is free; you don’t pay unless we get you money!